Segev BenZvi, Assoc. Professor, Department of Physics, University of Rochester

Measuring Cosmic Expansion with the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument

Since the first observations of the accelerating expansion of the universe at the end of the 1990s, astronomers and physicists have struggled to understand dark energy, a mysterious repulsive force that drives the acceleration. A number of models of dark energy exist. The simplest (the cosmological constant), assumes dark energy is non-interacting and is the same everywhere in space and time. Different models predict subtely different features in the large-scale structure of the universe. We are now entering an era of new photometric and spectroscopic surveys which can discriminate different models of dark energy with unprecedented precision.

Rob Pisarski, Distinguished Scientist, Department of Physics, Brookhaven National Laboratory

The Ugly Duckling and the Swan: The Quark-Gluon Plasma and Heavy Ion Collision

I give a pedagogical and historical overview of the search for the Quark-Gluon plasma (QGP) in the collisions of heavy ions. I begin with a brief review of why we expect a QGP to be formed at high temperature. In this, numerical simulations in lattice Quantum ChromoDynamics (QCD) form the bedrock of the field. In particular, they demonstrate the relationship between deconfinement and the restoration of chiral symmetry.

Joel Nowitzke, PhD Candidate, UW-Milwaukee
Modeling and Measurements of Network Formation and Viscoelastic Behavior of Folded Protein-Based Hydrogels
Proteins are vital for various daily functions and are even used in creating biocompatible materials through chemical crosslinking. However, predicting the mechanical properties of these materials is challenging due to the random orientation of constituent molecules within the network. Bridging the gap between nanoscopic and macroscopic scales is essential for formulating predictable biomaterials.